


Drinks On Me

by danigobingo



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Both are too gay to function, F/F, bar au, coffee shop AU, meet cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-20
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:07:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27638662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/danigobingo/pseuds/danigobingo
Summary: “Welcome to The Fright Zone. How may I help…you?”The welcoming spiel died on Catra’s tongue as her eyes landed not the customer, who was the most gorgeous woman she had ever seen in her life. Her blonde hair was pulled up into a ponytail, revealing a perfectly buzzed undercut. Her eyes were a striking cerulean blue and her smile was like a string of shining pearls, making Catra’s heart flutter inside her chest. This woman looked like a goddess descended from the heavens, and Catra felt as if she didn’t deserve to be in the woman’s presence.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 163





	Drinks On Me

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this for the love of my life for a month anniversary a while back. I hope you all enjoy it as much as she did. 
> 
> For you, my love

_Ding-ding._

The smell of fresh coffee beans wafted over Catra as she stepped into the coffee shop. Unfortunately, it did little to wake her up, and she trudged to the back, dreading the day ahead. She put her bag in her locker, craving the sweet, sweet warmth of her bed, but sleep wasn’t going to happen any time soon. Shadow Weaver was making her work a double shift today, all because she leaned against the cash register when talking to a customer one time. _One time._ Catra growled as she slammed her locker door. _A few more months_ , she thought to herself, then she would be out of here for good. She wouldn’t have to deal with Shadow Weaver and her crazy bitch rules anymore, or difficult customers, or—

“Catra?”

_Ugh._

“Catra!” Scorpia came around the corner and crushed Catra in a big ol’ bear hug. “I thought that was you! I recognized the frustration when the locker slammed, and I thought ‘Only Catra would do that. She has a special touch.’”

“Scorpia?”

“I mean, sure, it’s a little rough around the edges, but you still make the best coffee. Ooh, it’s like drinking a fluffy cloud.”

“Scorpia.”

“There’s nothing quite like it! Ooh, you know what you should do? You should open up your own coffee shop! Yeah! That would be so cool!”

“Scorpia!”

“Yes, wildcat?”

“What did I tell you about personal space?”

“Oh!” Scorpia put Catra down and straightened out the latter’s shirt before patting her on the head. “Sorry about that. I was just excited to see you.”

“You’re always excited to see me.” _For some reason._

Scorpia beamed. “What’s not to be excited about? You’re _Catra_.”

 _That’s exactly why you shouldn’t be excited._ “Where’s Entrapta? She usually works the morning shift with me.”

“Oh, she had something come up.”

Catra’s eye twitched. “What?”

“Yeah, apparently Emily’s really sick, so Entrapta had to take her to the vet today, so she asked me to cover her shift this morning.”

“But…you’re usually nights.”

Scorpia nodded. “Not today, though. Today I’m working all day with my best friend!”

Catra felt her stomach sink. “Yay…”

“Oh, today’s going to be so much fun! I’ve never worked the morning shift before, so you’re going to have to show me the ropes.” Scorpia grinned with stars in her eyes. “Catra showing me the ropes. Oh, this is going to be great!”

She ran out of the room, leaving a stunned Catra alone. Catra sighed and leaned against her locker. Today was going to be even more of a headache than usual, she just knew. She didn’t hate Scorpia, not in the slightest; in fact, Catra envied her glass-half-full mentality. However, Scorpia could be a bit…much at times, and was quick to get on Catra’s nerves. She wasn’t as bad as Entrapta, who was always off trying to make a new concoction of what was supposed to be coffee instead of paying attention to customers, leaving Catra to do the brunt of the work, but Entrapta at least understood the meaning of personal space, a concept which Scorpia couldn’t seem to wrap her head around. Catra sighed. “Let’s get this over with.”

———————————————————————————

Despite the business of the morning rush, the day seemed to go by at a snail’s pace, mainly due to Scorpia’s constant attempts at starting conversations with Catra, each one more grating and annoying than the last. It took everything within Catra not to take her frustrations out on the customers, especially with Shadow Weaver hovering over her shoulder with her signature scrutinizing glare. Catra was determined not to mess up. As much as she hated it, she needed this job, so she kept her mouth shut.

_Ding-ding._

Two people came in around a quarter to three hand in hand. The girl was dressed in glittery purples and pinks and the boy wore a sleeveless crop top with dark pants. They were chatting and giggling with each other, the sight of which made Catra roll her eyes. Fortunately, Shadow Weaver was busy helping Scorpia with a big order, so Catra was safe; nevertheless, she plastered on a fake smile as the lovey-dovey couple approached her register. “Welcome to The Fright Zone. What can I get you today?”

The sparkly girl spoke first. “Hi! I’ll have the unicorn frappaccino, please.”

 _Of course you do._ “What’s the name?”

“Glimmer.”

 _Of course it is._ “And for you?”

“I’ll just have a vanilla latte, please.”

“Name?”

“Bow.”

“Alright, your order will be ready in a few minutes.”

Bow and Glimmer paid before going to sit down at table in the back corner while Catra got to work on their drinks. Her mind became focused on making these drinks perfect; Shadow Weaver had a habit of going around the tables to see if the drinks Catra made were up to par. She didn’t do this to Scorpia, Entrapta, or any of the other employees, which made Catra even more frustrated. She didn’t know what she did to get on Shadow Weaver’s shit-list, but in a few months, she wouldn’t have to worry about her anymore.

Catra finished the drinks in record time, scanning them one last time before calling out Glimmer and Bow’s names. After they thanked her for the drinks, Catra turned around and began to tidy up her station.

_Ding-ding._

“I’ll be right with you,” Catra called over her shoulder.

The voice that replied was as sweet as honey, yet it hit Catra with the full force of a freight train. “Take your time. I’m still deciding anyway.”

Catra flushed as she straightened out her apron. How could a stranger’s voice make her feel all warm and fuzzy inside? Clearing her throat as softly as she could, Catra turned around to formally greet the customer. “Welcome to The Fright Zone. How may I help…you?”

The welcoming spiel died on Catra’s tongue as her eyes landed not the customer, who was the most gorgeous woman she had ever seen in her life. Her blonde hair was pulled up into a ponytail, revealing a perfectly buzzed undercut. Her eyes were a striking cerulean blue and her smile was like a string of shining pearls, making Catra’s heart flutter inside her chest. This woman looked like a goddess descended from the heavens, and Catra felt as if she didn’t deserve to be in the woman’s presence.

“Um…hello?”

The woman’s voice broke Catra out of her gay reverie, the glow fading as reality crept back in. Realizing she had been staring with her month open, Catra attempted to cover up her blush with a cough. It wasn’t that successful. “I’m sorry?”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah—yeah, I’m fine. It’s just been a long day, ha.”

The woman laughed, thankfully, the sound like bells to Catra’s ears. “Yeah, I get that. Well, for me it’s long nights instead of days.”

“Oh? What do you do?”

“I just started as a bartender at Bright Moon,” the woman said. “I have another shift tonight, so I’m getting something to give me a modicum of energy.”

Catra nodded along, trying in vain to calm her frantic heart. “Well, uh, in that case, why don’t you try our house special?”

Before the woman could reply, Catra went over to the coffee machine, her hands working deftly and efficiently as she went through the motions she’s done dozens of times before. But this time felt different, and Catra wasn’t sure why. At least, not until she was handing the fresh cup of coffee to the woman.

“Oh, it smells so good,” she said, smiling. “What’s in it?”

“You mix drinks, too, and you can’t tell?” Catra raised a joking eyebrow, not knowing where this spike of confidence was coming from.

“I mix alcohol, not coffee. Pretty big difference between the two, ha.”

“But they both give you a buzz.”

The woman laughed again. “That they do. So what kind of buzz will I get from this?”

“This is a chocolate-caramel blend with a double shot of espresso, so you’ll get a pretty good kick from it. Not to mention it’ll help keep you awake for most of the shift tonight. It’s, uh,” Catra blushed. “It’s also my favorite.”

The woman smiled softly, her cheeks tinged pink as well. “It looks amazing, thank you. And I’m sure it’ll taste amazing, too.”

“Ah, you’re just saying that.”

“I’m serious. This is…really sweet.”

Catra’s heart hammered against her sternum in double time as her own blush deepened. This was the first time anyone had ever called anything she did “sweet”. “You’re—you’re welcome.”

“How much is it?”

“What?”

“How much is the drink?”

“Oh, uh, it’s on the house.”

The woman’s eyes widened in surprise. “Really? I—I don’t mind paying.”

Catra quickly waved her hand. “It’s okay. I insist.”

The woman looked at the drink in her hand before her gaze landed back on Catra. She smiled. “Thank you…Catra.”

Catra became concerned, wondering how the woman knew her name before remembering she was wearing her name tag. “You’re, uh, you’re welcome.”

“Adora! Over here!”

The woman turned around to see Glimmer and Bow waving at her from their table. She waved back before turning back to Catra. “Thank you again.” She raised her cup in salute before joining her friends.

 _Adora._ It was a perfect name for a perfect woman. Catra watched as Adora laughed and talked with her friends, her smile becoming permanently etched in Catra’s brain. She found herself smiling, too, as she headed to the back to take her break. Nothing could ruin her good mood now.

That was soon proven wrong the moment she ran into Shadow Weaver.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“I’m taking my break,” Catra said curtly. “I’ve been on my feet all day, so I think I’ve earned at least one.”

Shadow Weaver’s eyes narrowed. “You’ve earned _something_ , but that isn’t a break. I saw you give that customer a free drink.”

Catra’s stomach dropped.

“You know we don’t do that here, Catra, so tell me why I shouldn’t fire you right now?”

“What?!”

“That’s not a reason I’m hearing.”

“She…she needed a little pick-me-up before work, so I took care of her. What’s wrong with that?”

“If you give one customer a free drink, they’ll all want free drinks,” Shadow Weaver said, her voice dark and dangerous.

“It won’t happen again,” Catra promised.

“Why should I believe you?” Shadow Weaver asked. “You’ve been nothing but a thorn in my side the moment you walked through my door.”

“Why’d you hire me then?”

“I hired you because I saw myself in you. Young, wanting to prove herself. At least, that’s what I thought I saw. You’re just a petulant child, and such a disappointment.”

Catra ground her teeth, her fingernails digging into her palms hard enough to draw blood. She had _had_ it. “I’ve done nothing but work my ass off for you. I’ve done everything you asked me to, completed every stupid task you gave me because I did something you didn’t like. I’m the only fucking one you treat like this and I don’t know why. You call me the petulant child, but that’s something a petulant child would do. What’s your problem with me, huh? What have I done to deserve this?” Catra was shaking, her vision blurred with unshed tears. “What did I do?”

Shadow Weaver remained eerily silent, each second longer than the last. When she did speak again, her words shattered Catra’s heart. “You’re fired, Catra.”

Catra couldn’t breathe. _Fired._ She was fired. The job that was her ticket out of here was now dust in her hands.

Everything she works for…was gone.

Gritting her teeth, Catra tore off her apron and hurled it at Shadow Weaver before stomping off to retrieve her bag. Slamming her locker with enough force to break it—she didn’t care anymore—Catra left The Fright Zone, paying no attention to everyone’s eyes on her or Scorpia’s confused pleas. She didn’t turn around to say goodbye to her. She just left. It wasn’t until she get home that she allowed the tears to fall, her body racking with sobs. Her cat, Melog, mewed sadly as he cuddled up next to her, Catra grateful for the comfort. She didn’t stop crying until the sun was long gone.

———————————————————————————

A week passed before Catra decided to leave the house again. She was in need of a stiff drink, something she had been craving since Shadow Weaver fired her, and she had already drained the bottle she was saving for when she left Etheria, so she was hankering for more. After giving Melog his dinner and a few pets for the road, Catra headed out.

The name “Bright Moon” had been in her head for a while, so she decided to go try it out. Scorpia told her that it was a good place to hang out and meet new people when she visited Catra a few days ago, saying that she even met a cute girl named Perfuma there. “It’ll do you good to get back out there, wildcat,” Scorpia had said. “You’ve still got a life worth living. Don’t let Shadow Weaver ruin that for you.”

 _Too late for that._ Soon enough, Catra was on Bright Moon’s doorstep, the pale pink walls already a stark contrast to what she was used to. But she was already here, so she might as well stay for one drink. She opened the door and was immediately blown away by the sight before her.

This place was everything The Fright Zone wasn’t. For starters, everything was bright and colorful; pinks and purples and blues popped everywhere Catra looked, every piece of furniture shimmering as if they were covered in glitter. Patrons filled every table, the place a-hum with chatter, off-setting the string quartet performing on the small stage on the right side of the room. As Catra made her way towards the bar, she noticed the strong but alluring smell of peppermint. It was oddly calming, so Catra took the seat closest to the smell, taking several long breaths before taking a better look at the place. Everything about it was calm and soothing, yet there was a welcoming energy that was vibrating all over. Catra found herself smiling. Maybe Scorpia was right about this place. She couldn’t help but think that she had heard of this place before, though. Was it at work? It must’ve been, though she didn’t remember who told her about it; this past week was a blur. When she saw who the bartender was, however, everything came flooding back to her.

Her beautiful golden hair was still in a ponytail, her eyes and smile still shining like rare jewels as she talked with other customers, making Catra’s heart flutter in an all too familiar way.

_Adora._

Catra remembered their conversation at The Fright Zone, how easy it was, how… _freeing_ it felt. Then she remembered was happened afterward and her heart plummeted into her stomach. _Did she see what happened? Did she hear?_ Catra’s face blanched.

_I have to get out of here._

Catra moved to leave, but just as she stood up, a familiar voice called her name.

“Catra?”

She froze, her heart hammering a mile a minute. Everything in her was telling her to run, to never look back and never return; something she was so used to doing. She did it with her family, with her old friends, with The Fright Zone and Shadow Weaver…she could easily do it again.

Why Catra turned around and sat back down still remains a mystery to this day, even to her.

“H—hey, Adora,” Catra said, her cheeks burning.

Adora smiled in greeting. “I never thought I’d see you again. Why don’t you take a seat and I’ll make you something to drink?”

Catra did so, her mind racing as her current situation began to sink in. She internally screamed at herself for not running when she had the chance.

“So what can I get you?”

 _Can you get me out of here?_ Catra shook the thought out of her head as she met Adora’s warm gaze. “Uh…what do you recommend?”

“Well, all our drinks are good, or so I’m told by our customers,” Adora chuckled. “But my favorite is the Moonstone Margarita. It’s simple, yet it has a ton of flavor.”

“I’ll have that then.”

“One Moonstone Margarita coming up!”

Catra sat and watched as Adora began mixing her drink, entranced by every move she made: the way her hair swished around her shoulders, the way her fingers wrapped around the necks of the bottles, the way her biceps flexed underneath her shirt.

 _Fuck_ ,” Catra thought. _I’m way too gay for this._

“So what brings you here?” Adora called over her shoulder.

Catra cleared her throat. “I heard good things about it from a friend.”

“That’s cool!” Well, I hope we live up to those good things.”

_You already are._

“Your Moonstone Margarita, my lady.”

Catra’s cheeks burned at the term of endearment as she avoided Adora’s eyes in favor of staring at the vividly glowing drink before her. Hesitantly, she took the glass in her hand and took a small sip. Her eyes widened at the strong fruity taste; strawberries, raspberries, and cherries danced on her tongue as the tequila burned down her throat. It was a pure sugar rush, and Catra couldn’t help but smile. “This is the best drink I’ve ever had.”

Adora grinned. “You’re just saying that.”

“No, really. It really is. You did a wonderful job.”

Adora’s cheeks turned pink, causing Catra to smile even wider. “Thank you.”

“How long have you been working here?” Catra asked.

“A couple of weeks now. It feels like it’s been longer, though.”

“I know that feeling? Days too long? People too annoying?”

“Sometimes, but it’s more that I feel like I belong here, you know?”

“Yeah.” Catra sipped her drink some more. That was a bold-faced lie, but Catra didn’t feel like delving into her personal troubles with a stranger. She wasn’t _that_ drunk.

“Can I get you another drink?” Adora asked.

“No thanks. I know my limits.”

Adora shrugged. “Suit yourself.” She took Catra’s empty glass over to the other side of the bar, leaving Catra alone with her thoughts and a sinking realization: now that she was done drinking, she had to leave, if not now then sometime within the next few minutes. She wanted to stay, to talk to Adora more, but the dinner rush would be soon and she didn’t want to overstay her welcome.

 _Just go_ , a voice in her head told her. _Just leave the money and go. It’ll be better that way._ Catra swallowed, putting the money on the bar and turned around to go.

“Hey!”

Catra stopped in her tracks.

“Where are you going?” Adora asked.

Catra could hear the confusion in her voice, but more than that, she could hear a faint underline of hurt. “Bathroom,” she lied.

“Bathroom’s the other way,” Adora said, her brow furrowing. “Were you planning on leaving without saying goodbye?”

Catra winced. The hurt wasn’t so faint anymore. “I left money there for you.”

“I don’t care about money. I want to know why you’re leaving.”

“Because I’m done with my drink.”

“So? A lot of people stay after they have a drink.”

“You’re busy. I don’t want to distract you.”

“We aren’t that busy right now, it’ll be fine. Besides, Glimmer and Bow will be coming in later tonight so I won’t be the only one on.”

Catra cursed internally. She was running out of excuses.

“Catra?” Adora asked, a hint of pleading in her voice. “Can I buy you a drink?”

Catra turned around, her eyes wide in disbelief. “You…wanna buy me a drink?”

Adora shrugged. “It’s the least I can do.”

“But…” Catra slowly sat back down, not remembering walking back to the bar. “I didn’t do anything.”

“Yes you did. You got me coffee.”

Catra tensed, time freezing all around her. “You remember that?”

This time, Adora looked at Catra in disbelief. “Of course I do. It was…it was one of the nicest things anyone’s ever done for me in a long time.”

Catra stared at Adora, her mouth open but no words came out.

“So…do you want another Moonstone Margarita or do you want to try something else?”

Adora looked at Catra expectantly, so Catra cleared her throat and ordered another margarita. “Why?” she asked as Adora placed the drink in front of her.

“I told you. Because you did the same for me at The Fright Zone and I wanted to pay it back.”

“No.” Catra shook her head. “Why do you want me to stay?”

Adora hesitated, but her eyes immediately found Catra’s. “I don’t know. I guess…I guess I just like talking with you and I don’t want to stop just yet.”

Catra’s heart stopped beating, her cheeks burning with color under the weight of Adora’s warm gaze as her brain fumbled to come up with a proper reply. Before she could, however, Adora looked away, and the room suddenly felt colder.

“I’m sorry if I overstepped,” she spoke in a quick manner. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

 _You didn’t_ , Catra thought. _You didn’t, I promise._ But those words stuck in her throat like chewing gum; what came out instead was: “It’s okay.”

Adora shook her head. “I made it awkward, I’m sorry.”

“No, you—you have nothing to be sorry for. _I’m_ the one who made it awkward. I…I like talking to you, too.”

“You do?”

Catra nodded. “I really do.”

Adora blushed, the sight making Catra’s heart flutter. “Okay, great! Um…is there…anything in particular you want to talk about right now?”

“Uh…I’m coming up blank, sorry, ha.”

“It’s okay,” Adora said, chuckling. “Oh! What about work? How’s your job going?”

Catra’s good mood shattered instantly. Adora must’ve noticed this because her mood shifted as well. “Are you okay? Did I say something wrong?”

Catra shook her head, albeit a little too quickly. “No, no, you didn’t. It’s just…” she sighed, “I am no longer employed at The Fright Zone.”

“Oh shit. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

“If you don’t mind my asking, what happened?”

“I, uh…the manager and I got into a bit of a fight and I was let go.”

Adora’s eyes widened in horror. “Oh god, I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories, I’m so sorry.”

Catra waved away her apology. “It’s okay, I’m actually glad to be away from there.”

“Was it that bad?”

“Nah. Some of the employees were nice.” Catra smiled as she thought of Scorpia and Entrapta. “It was just Shadow Weaver. I don’t know what I did to piss her off, but she had it out for me the day I walked in.”

“That’s not fair. I hate her already.”

Catra nearly spit out her drink. “You don’t even know her!”

“I don’t have too. She treated you like shit, so therefore, I hate her.”

Catra snickered. “Technically, you don’t know me either.”

“I would like to. That is if that’s okay with you?”

Catra couldn’t believe her ears. Her heart leapt up into her throat and she bit her lip. “Are you asking me out?”

Adora’s eyes widened, her face burning a crimson red as she shyly smiled. “Yes? I mean I know we’ve only had like two conversations, but I do want to get to know you better and…I think you’re pretty cute. But if you just want to be friends, that’s cool, too!”

“I want to.”

“Be friends?”

“No. I mean, yes! I meant yes, I would love to go out with you.”

Adora’s eyes shone with hope. “You would?”

Catra nodded, a smile growing on her face. “I would.”

“Yay!” Adora fist bumped the air, causing a couple patrons to look their way. Catra looked away, but couldn’t stop smiling. She had a date. _An actual date!_ She couldn’t believe it. Her heart was threatening to burst out of her chest and run around in circles in excitement. “Is there anything you want to do for our date?”

Adora smiled sheepishly. “I, uh, actually didn’t think that far ahead, ha.”

“But you’re the one who asked me out!”

“I know! I’m sorry, I suck at this.”

Catra laughed as Adora covered her blushing face. “Kind of, but you’re cute, so it’s okay.”

Adora blushed harder. “You’re unbelievable.”

Catra grinned. “One of my amazing qualities.”

“I can tell.”

“How about we go out for drinks?”

“…you do realize I work at a bar, right?”

“A different bar, then.”

“What about coffee?”

“Nah, I think I’m done with coffee for right now.”

“Okay. Would you like to have dinner with those drinks?”

Catra nodded. “I would love that. I know just the place.”

Adora smiled, her eyes shining like the ocean. “I can’t wait.”

 _Neither can I_ , Catra thought. Maybe there was something in Etheria worth staying for, or rather…someone.

And Catra couldn’t wait to see where this took her.


End file.
